Stars D Heiskanen (knee) may not return until second round of playoffs
Published
Dallas Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen may not be ready to return from knee surgery in time for the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said on Tuesday that it's a "realistic possibility" that they may not see Heiskanen return to the lineup until the second round.
Heiskanen has been out since Jan. 28 after he injured his left knee in a third-period collision with Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone and had surgery on Feb. 4. The initial timeline for recovery was estimated at three to four months.
The 25-year-old has five goals and 25 points in 50 games this season while averaging 25:10 minutes of ice time. The injury caused him to miss suiting up for Team Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
Dallas sit just two points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for second place in the Central Division with two games in hand.
The team was busy at the deadline, adding forward Mikko Rantanen in a blockbuster move with the Carolina Hurricanes and picked up depth in centre Mikael Granlund and defenceman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks.
“We’re going to get Colorado, Winnipeg, somebody really good in the first round [of the playoffs]; that’s a given,” DeBoer said. “On paper, we’re going to have similar lineups to whoever we’re playing. So that chemistry, that team identity, all those things you’re trying to establish down the stretch are going to be the things that hopefully separate you from whoever you’re playing at that time of the year because there’s not going to be a lot of skill separation on paper.”
DeBoer also expects to see forward Tyler Seguin back by the end of the regular season after having hip surgery on Dec. 4. The 33-year-old had nine goals and 20 points in 19 games before the injury.
The Stars wrap up the regular season against the Nashville Predators on Apr. 16.